HC orders SIT to investigate drug-alcohol abuse in Malayalam film industry

The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the SIT investigating the sexual abuse allegations in the Malayalam film industry to probe the widespread use of alcohol and drugs on film shooting sets and other related work places.

A special division bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha, hearing the PIL regarding the Justice Hema Committee report and related matters, directed that necessary steps should be taken, as and when required in the future, to prevent the rampant use of alcohol and drugs at shooting locations and other connected work sites, and said this was in violation of law.

The bench directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter and take necessary action as per law.

The Justice Hema panel was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Following allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation